- Recorded Webinar
Rebuilding & Strengthening Intimacy in Couples Relationships
Dr. Stephen Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS
- Recorded Webinar
Overview:
Many counselors and therapists are challenged when working with couples who seek help to improve or strengthen their intimacy and avoid painful consequences such as breakup or divorce. A major focus of the presentation is to help the participants identify and manage the five major roadblocks or obstacles to improving or strengthening intimacy:
- Family-of-origin issues In One Or Both Partners
- Lack of healthy communication skills
- Emotional management roadblocks
- Domestic violence history (including in family-of-origin)
- Mental health conditions, including unresolved trauma history, substance use disorders and any other mental health disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, bi-polar, personality disorders, etc.)
As part of developing healthy communication styles, couples must learn “fair fighting” skills, which are an important component of this presentation.
In addition, improving or strengthening intimacy requires developing strategic treatment plans that address each couple’s dynamics as well as utilizing a “Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual” foundation for creating healthier couples.
Objectives:
- Identify and manage dysfunctional family-of-origin Issues or self-defeating coping styles that are present in one or both of the partners.
- Identify their dysfunctional communication patterns and teach couples new ways to communicate with respect and effectiveness.
- Develop a robust emotional vocabulary and learn new healthy emotional management skills.
- Assess and understand how a domestic violence history (including in the family-of-origin) can sabotage intimacy and how to overcome these obstacles.
- Identity mental health conditions in one or both and develop strategic treatment plans to overcome roadblocks to healthy intimacy.
Scope and Limitations Disclosure
This course is intended for licensed mental health professionals and provides an overview of evidence-informed strategies for supporting couples in rebuilding and strengthening intimacy. The presentation addresses five common clinical barriers to intimacy, including family-of-origin issues, communication breakdowns, emotional dysregulation, domestic violence history, and co-occurring mental health conditions. Participants will also explore practical tools such as “fair fighting” skills and treatment planning using a biopsychosocial-spiritual framework. While clinical techniques and case-informed strategies are discussed, this course is not a substitute for formal couples therapy certification or specialized training in trauma or substance use disorders. Content should be applied within the clinician’s professional scope and ethical standards.
Commercial Support Disclosure
Dr. Stephen Grinstead is the author of several publications and the developer of the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System. While related concepts or works may be referenced during the course, there is no requirement to purchase any additional materials to complete the training. No other commercial support or relevant financial relationships have been disclosed.
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Stephen Grinstead
Dr. Stephen Grinstead is a seasoned expert in the field of addiction and chronic pain management, with over 35 years of experience as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), a former California Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC-II), and an Advanced Relapse Prevention Specialist (ACRPS). He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Behavioral Science, a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology, and a Doctorate in Addictive Disorders (Dr. AD), making him one of the few professionals in the world with this unique combination of expertise. Dr. Grinstead has an impressive background as an educator, having taught at several prestigious universities, including Santa Clara University, UC Berkeley Extension, Stanford University Medical School, and the University of Utah's School on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies. He also served on the faculty of UC Santa Cruz Extension Alcohol and Drug Studies Program and as an Adjunct Professor at Alliant University, where he taught Masters Level and Psy.D. students the Treating the Addicted Family System course for the Marriage and Family Therapy track for five years. In 2015, Dr. Grinstead co-founded and served as the Chief Clinical Officer of a Residential and Intensive Outpatient Triple Diagnosis Chronic Pain Management Program in Camarillo, California. He is the author of multiple books on chronic pain management, including Thank You Adversity For Yet Another Test: A Body Mind Spirit Approach for Relieving Chronic Pain Suffering, Freedom from Suffering: A Journey of Hope, Managing Pain, Coexisting Disorders, and the Addiction-Free Pain Management® Recovery Guide. Dr. Grinstead is renowned internationally for his pioneering work in preventing relapse related to addiction and chronic pain disorders and for his development of the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System. His extensive experience with chronic pain management, substance use disorders, eating addiction, and coexisting mental and personality disorders make him a valuable resource for patients and practitioners alike.
National Approvals
eCare BHI, as the accredited and approved sponsor, maintains responsibility for all the programs and must abide by each board’s continuing education guidelines.
Professional Counselors — The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
E Care Behavioral Health Institute has been approved by NBCC as an approved Continuing Education Provider. ACEP No. 6703. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC are clearly identified. E care Behavioral Health Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Addiction Professionals — NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC)
E Care Behavioral Health Institute is officially on file with NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) as an Approved Education Provider. They are formally known as NAADAC Provider #139138. Please note that E care Behavioral Health Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.
Social Workers — Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
E Care Behavioral Health Institute, #1706, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. E Care Behavioral Health Institute maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 06-03-2020 – 06-03-2026.
CE Broker
CE Broker is a continuing education tracking system in which licensees track their compliance and report their completed CE hours credit (CE Broker Tracking #50-33336)
State Approvals
States that Accept ASWB-ACE Approved Providers |
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| Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut |
| Delaware | District Of Columbia | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois |
| Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland |
| Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska |
| Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio |
| Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee |
| Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin |
| Wyoming | ||||||
States that Accepts NBCC Approved Courses: |
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| Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut |
| Delaware | District Of Columbia | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Indiana |
| Iowa | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Missouri | New Hampshire | New Jersey |
| New Mexico | Ohio | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota |
| Tennessee | Texas | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | Wisconsin | |
- Nevada CPC’s and MFT’s accept ASWB-approved training
- North Dakota Board Of Counselor Examiners LAPC and LAPCS accept ASWB approved training
- Rhode Island Board of Mental Health Counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists MHC’s accept ASWB approved training
- Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council LPC and LPCS accept ASWB approved training
- Utah Division of Professional Licensing – CMHC’s accept ASWB approved training
- Washington State Department of Mental Health MHC’s accept ASWB approved training
- Wisconsin Council on Mental Health LPCS accepts ASWB-approved training
States that Accept NAADAC Approved Providers |
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| Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | Delaware | Hawaii | Indiana |
| Kentucky | Maine | Massachusetts | Minnesota | Montana | Nevada | New Jersey |
| New Jersey | New Mexico | North Carolina | North Dakota | Oregon | Rhode Island | Tennessee |
| Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | Wyoming |
States that Accept APA Approved Providers |
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| Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Delaware | District Of Columbia |
| Florida | Georgia | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas |
| Kentucky | Louisiana | Maryland | Massachusetts | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri |
| Montana | Nebraska | New Jersey | New Mexico | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma |
| Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | Tennessee | Utah | Vermont | Virginia |
| Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming | |||
Who This Training is For:
This program is intended for mental health professionals such as Social Workers, Mental Health Counselors, Addiction Counselors, & MFT’s. Psychologists are encouraged to verify if this specific course meets their board’s approval requirements.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, we are approved Continuing Education providers by ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, APA & many other state boards.
Programs that do not qualify for ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, & APA are clearly identified. eCare Behavioral Health Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
To view all of our board approvals, click here
1) After watching the video lesson, you’ll be prompted to complete a short course evaluation
2) Pass the quiz
3) Receive your certificate immediately
80% or above with 3 attempts.
No. Our courses are not “book to buy” and do not require any other materials in advance.
Yes. (If you’re from Florida, Ohio, & South Carolina). We report CEs to the CE broker daily for courses completed the day before. For both live and recorded webinars.
Recorded Webinar CE Courses:
- Refunds are only eligible if the course was purchased within 30 days or less.
- If the customer doesn’t want the course anymore, or was unsatisfied from it – We can transfer credits to another course of their choice (with same CE credit amount).
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